What Onnoghen told CCB on his asset declaration (FULL TEXT)

Exactly one week ago, President Muhammadu Buhari
suspended Walter Onnoghen, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), over
alleged false assets declaration.

In his speech at the occasion where Onnoghen was
suspended and Ibrahim Muhammad appointed in acting capacity, Buhari
said Onnoghen had admitted that he failed to “follow the spirit and
letter of the law” in declaring his assets.

Defending his action which was severely criticised, Buhari said
’’mistake and forgetfulness’’ are totally unknown to the law.

What were the exact words of Onnoghen in response to the query
of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) which filed a six-count charge
against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT)?

Below is the former CJN’s response :

Department of Intelligence Investigation and Monitoring
(II&M) Federal Secretariat Complex Phase I Annex III, 5th
Floor, Shehu Shagari Way, Maitama, PMB 155, Garki-Abuja.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT FORM

DATE: 1st January, 2019

I WALTER S. N. ONNOGHEN of THE SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA
hereby voluntarily depose to the statement averred herein knowing
that whatever I write or state may be tendered against me as
evidence in court. I also volunteer to state that the statement was
not taken in evidence from me under duress but after the
administering officer has explained and made known the details of
the allegations against me.

• Rank/Position: CHIEF JUSTICE OF NIGERIA
Date of Birth: 22nd DECEMBER, 19150
Residential Address: CTN DRIVE ASO VILLA, ABUJA
Phone Number: 08034743023
Date of 1st Appointment into Service: 1st OCTOBER,
1989
Date of Substantive Appointment: 7th March, 2017
Category of Appointment: TENURED
Duration of Tenure (if Applicable): FOUR YEARS
Date of Declaration of Assets: 14TH DECEMBER, 2016
Details of Companies/Enterprises: ONE
Bank account Details: STD. CHARTERED 0001062667 AND OTHERS AS
PER MY ASSETDECARATION FORM
No of Children: FOUR
State any other full Time Employment (if any): NILL
Name (s) of Spouse/Date of Birth: MRS NKOY W. N. ONNOGHEN 11TH
JULY, 1957
Name of Children/Date of Birth: ORIMINIWEFA N.
ONNOGHEN
: EWUWUNI N. ONNOGHEN
: EFA N. ONNOGHEN
: TITE N. ONNOGHEN

Response to the Allegation(s):
My Asset Declaration for Nos. SCN000014 and SCN.0000 5 were
declared on the same day, 14th December, 2016 because I forgot to
make a declaration of May, 2005 declaration of my assets after the
expiration of my 2005 declaration in 2009. Following my appointment
as Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria in November, 2016 the need to
declare my asset anew made to realize the mistake and then did the
declarations to cover the period in default. I did not include my
Standard Chartered Bank Account in SCN. 000014 because I believed
they were not opened during the period covered by the declaration,
I did not make a fresh declaration of asset after my substantive
appointment as CJN because I was under the impression that my SCN.
000015 was to cover the period of four years which include my leave
as CJN. The deposits made in my US Dollar account No. 87000106250
with STD. Chartered Bank of $10,000 at different intervals of
28/6/11 were sourced partly from my reserve and saving from my
estacodes including medical expenses. The same applies to my
deposit of 27/7/11 of the sum of $10,000 twice. It is important to
state that prior to my opening the US dollar account I had foreign
currency which I kept at home due to the fact that there existed a
government that proscribed the operation of foreign currency
account by Public officers including judicial Officers. It was when
I got to know that the policy had changed that I had to open the
said account. Upon opening the account, I was made to understand
that I cannot pay in more than $10,000 at a time and per payment
slip. I cannot remember the total amount I had on reserved if the
time but it spread from my practice days as a private legal
practitioner from 1979 – 1989. Some of the deposits are a result of
forex trading AGRICODE and other investment returns were from
proceeds of my investments into them. The withdrawals in the
account are partly to pay children fees and upkeep abroad and
further investments. My British Pound and Euro accounts with
Chartered Standard Bank are savings accounts.

WALTER SAMUEL NKANU ONNOGHEN 

EFCC Arrests Oyo Internet Fraudsters

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, Ibadan zonal office have arrested 15 suspected internet
fraudsters at Ologuneru Area of the metropolitan city of Ibadan,
Oyo State.

They are, Bamidele Ayodele Samson, Bamidele Philip, Tunji
Oladapo Sowale, Bololaji Olalekan and Abdulrauf Abiodun.

Others are: Olaleye Pelumi, Anuokuwapo Olanrewaju, Paul
Damilola, Olateye David Tobi, Arewa Adekunle Ibrahim, Oyesanmi
Ayomikun Oluwaseun, Olaleye Israel, Adediran Kemisola, Omobolade
Alarape and Olowolusi Oluwatomisin.

In a sting operation led by the zonal head, Friday Ebelo, a
Deputy Chief Detective Superintendent, the suspects who are between
the ages of 21 and 35 years were taken by surprise when operatives
swept on them at one of their notorious havens in the city. Five of
them allegedly claimed to be undergraduates while the other 10
claimed to be self-employed in varied vocations.

They are already helping operatives with useful information.

The Commission got wind of their activities following series of
intelligence report, alleging that they engaged in various
fraudulent activities ranging from obtaining money by false
pretences through sending of scam emails to unsuspecting victims
mostly in the United States of America, while others were engaged
in romance scam on several dating sites.

At the point of arrest, EFCC operatives recovered four different
models and brands of exotic cars, five laptops, 20 telephones (10
iPhones) and one small bag containing items suspected to be fetish
objects (juju) from them. Several documents, including
international passports, and ATM cards were also recovered from
them.

They will be charged to court after thorough investigation.

Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
…………….

Man Bags Six Months for Impersonation, N1.5m Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured
the conviction of one Bidemi Adebayo, who was prosecuted before
Justice C.L. Dabup of a Plateau State High Court, sitting in Jos on
a two-count charge bordering on impersonation and obtaining by
false pretence to the tune of N1.5 million.

A petition received by the Commission regarding the matter
alleged that, sometimes in April 2015, the petitioner received an
international call from an unknown person who claimed to be her
son-in-law that resides in the United States of America, and the
impostor further claimed he is in a financial difficulty thereby
requesting for some money, with a promise to refund it later.

Believing him, the petitioner sent N1,547,000 into various
accounts provided by Adebayo.

After thorough investigation, it was discovered that he actually
opened an account with the name Adewale Moruf, using his real
passport photograph. It was the said account that some part of the
monies were paid into.

Further investigation into the matter revealed that one Dr. Mike
Ajayi, Mr. Adams and Stanley Iheohakara (all still at large) are
suspects in the matter and also benefited from the unlawful act.
Efforts are currently ongoing to track them in order to bring them
to justice.

Count one reads: “That you, Adebayo Bidemi (alias Olatunde
Adewale Moruf) on or about the 15th day of April, 2015 within the
Jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did dishonestly induce one
Lami Lukden to deliver the sum of N585,000 (Five Hundred and Eighty
Five Thousand Naira) to you for a business as her in-law and
thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 322 of the
Penal Code Law, Cap 89 laws of Northern Nigeria 1963”.

He pleaded “guilty” to the charges.

In view of the plea, prosecuting counsel, Benjamin Mangi, urged
the court to convict the accused and sentence him accordingly.

Justice Dabup, thereafter, convicted and sentenced him to six
months in prison, with an option of N70,000 as fine.

Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
……………

Internet Fraudster Bags 3 Months for Impersonating US Army
Officer

Justice Modupe Adebiyi of a Federal Capital Territory, FCT High
Court, Gudu, has sentenced an internet fraudster, Peter James, to
three months in prison.

The trial judge had on January 24, 2019 convicted him on a
one-count charge of “impersonation and attempt to cheat”.

The count reads: “That you, Peter James, sometimes in 2018 at
Abuja, the Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, did attempt
to cheat by impersonating, while representing yourself on QQ
International as Barnett Edward, an army officer deployed to
Afghanistan and thereby

Committed an offence punishable under section 324 of penal code,
laws of Federation (Abuja) 1990”.

He had pleaded “guilty” to the charge.

Sentencing the convict, today, January 31, 2019, Justice
Adebiyi, however, gave him an option of N100,000 as fine, and
ordered him to write an undertaking that he will never commit any
crime again.

“The undertaking must include a good passport photograph of
him”, the judge added.

Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
31st January, 2019